#but to be fair triton doesnt get a lot of scenes with literally anyone

[kingmaximusboltagon]

and back to the character dynamics, i really like how the show implies maximus was close with practically all of his family at one point

it never really hints at bolt and max being antagonistic prior to terrigenisis (in fact most of their flashbacks make it appear as if maximus is just upset about not getting to be king, but he doesnt seem to blame bolt for this in any particular way), and in the post-terrigenisis flashbacks, bolt seems distraught over maximus' anger. but then again, they must not have fought significantly over it, as maximus did wait a hell of a long time to put that coup plan into motion. part of him must have hoped bolt would listen to him. and he does go into the quiet room in that one flashback, and why would he have done that, other than to talk to bolt? im dying on this hill !!!

and beyond that, he outright says that he and medusa used to be good friends. medusa denies this, but like, why would maximus just make up their history directly to her and her alone? if he were lying, obviously medusa would know? so i think its more of a matter of medusa and max having a falling out that she doesnt want to dwell on, than them geniuenly not having been close ever. and later on, medusa continues to try to convince maximus to stand down, which very much could be because they were friends, and like bolt, medusa thinks theres still some of that pre-terrigenisis maximus in there somewhere.

for triton, while he very much could have been trying to manipulate them, during the "death reveal" at dinner, maximus does seem at least somewhat upset. i mean,

are these really the expressions of a guy thinking "wow, ive made a good call on this one, that guy deserved it!"? and when he walks off, he seems disappointed that bolt still refuses to take him seriously, and that he doesn't even accept triton as dead. later on, when triton comes back, maximus seems shocked, and at one point claims triton must have been happier on earth where he had access to water. in the comics, maximus also builds triton his suit that lets him breathe without being in water, and although triton's need for water doesnt seem to exist in the show version, i still think its worth mentioning. considering maximus wants to help attilan's citizens, i cant imagine he doesnt extend that idea to his family at all.

gorgon and karnak trained maximus to fight, and though i dont think it's ever mentioned who's idea it was, none of them suggest bolt made the decision, so for all we know, gorgon and karnak wanted to train him. gorgon says its so that maximus can defend himself, should nobody be there to help him. why go through the trouble to do that for someone you dont like and think is evil? during the coup, maximus also doesnt tell his guards to outright kill the two of them, and to just capture them if they can. there has to be some level of "he'll change" going on in their heads!!

after gorgon's "death", maximus behaves similarly to how he did was he thought triton was dead. he even holds a speech, where he goes on for a significant amount of time on how gorgon, and by extension his entire family, never accepted him or tried to make ammends. i dont believe this is him trying to manipulate the crowd, because maximus brings this up consistently throughout the series. i think he's actually upset in this scene, that he never managed to convince gorgon to stop being an ass, that his cousin always seemed to think of him as weak. when maximus says he tried his best, he genuinely believes it's true.

im pretty sure he and karnak get the least development or hinted at relationship when it comes to maximus and the others. other than family scenes, he and karnak never really appear on screen together. maximus asks him if he knew about triton being sent to earth, and during the training flashback, karnak compliments him on his strategy, and tells gorgon that maximus was just doing exactly as he was told. karnak is maybe the least against the move to earth, as i dont recall him ever saying they shouldn't, and i dont think he ever really has any arguments with maximus about it, nor does he act cruel for max's lack of powers, iirc. considering karnak has gorgon go through a second terrigenisis makes me think he may have supported maximus in that regard as well, if it meant maximus standing down. there arent really any implications he and karnak were on bad terms, though!

maximus and crystal are especially interesting to me, because i dont think he ever suggests killing her, making her the only family member he doesnt try to kill nor exile. however, like gorgon, crystal seems pretty spiteful towards him. to be fair, he did attempt murder on her entire family! crystal only appears in one flashback scene, iirc, and its with medusa, so theres not really any insight on her relationship with anybody when she was younger. but based on how maximus treats her, and the complete lack of danger he ever seems to put her in, i think he sees her as a younger sister. he definitely still thinks of her as a kid, anyways. i think its fun to imagine this is him trying to be more like blackagar, as always - he thinks of himself as the older brother, the king, telling the next in line what they should and shouldn't do. he keeps crystal locked in her room, as bolt kept himself locked away. even when crystal openly opposes him to the public, maximus still doesnt seem that angry, as its the same thing maximus was always doing to his brother. he wants to try to have a normal sibling relationship with crystal, but it crumbles apart the exact same way, so maximus lets her run away to earth.

and he has absolutely no scenes with lockjaw. i dont think he even stands in the same room as lockjaw more than three times, and theyre never shown on screen together other than... maybe when lockjaw teleports bb to earth? i guess he doesnt try to kill lockjaw, either. i cant imagine he has any quarrels with the dog. and lockjaw is a big baby that does nothing but be adorable in this series, so i cant imagine lockjaw takes maximus' coup personally.

#the show does a lot w them considering the short amount of time most of them get with maximus! #crysyal and medusa get a good amount of stuff built in #i do wish karnak and triton had some time together. i dont think they get a single scene together which is so sad!!! #but to be fair triton doesnt get a lot of scenes with literally anyone #overall tho like. theres a lot of good characterization that even the comics dont tend to get into #imagine if there was a season two and there was actually time to develop these relationships EVEN MORE!! #kevin fiege PLEASE. let them come home. give them another comic or SOMETHING. #blackagar boltagon #maximus boltagon #medusalith amaquelin #gorgon petragon #lockjaw inhumans #royal family #inhumans #undescribed #crystalia amaquelin #karnak mander-azur #triton mander-azur